Small Packages
by brookeblue
Summary: What if Kronos Heaven started selling mini versions of their ‘dolls’ Like when Night got mini-sized! for younger people? What if they broadened their sales to America? Again: Cookies to those who review! They’re choco chip!
1. Chapter 1

A/N: The views in this introduction are not meant as jabs against the types of people mention from the author. They're meant only to make a point to add to the story. BrookeBlue does not own Absolute Boyfriend or Star Wars…. However, she DOES own some cookies and you can too! All you have to do is review!

**Chapter One: Prologue **

Essence Zachary was not a very fun girl. She didn't play with the other kids… Ever. Not since she was four. Once she began reading, that's how she spent her time.

Depending on who you ask, Essence was depressed and cut.

If you asked someone else they'd tell you, "Naw man. She's just kinda... Weird."

If you asked a third person, they'd tell you she was a lesbian.

And if you asked someone who had a really big imagination, they'd tell you, "Don't tell anyone… but Darth Vader's using her for a secret plot against Earth…" Ok. Maybe the weird ones said that.

The truth of the matter, lies somewhere in between.


	2. Chapter 2: Brown Paper Packages

A/N: BrookeBlue acknowledges that she does not own The Sound of Music, The Wizard of Oz, The Giver, Absolute Boyfriend, Twilight or Shakespeare (but wouldn't it be cool if she did?)

**Chapter 2: …Brown Paper Packages Tied Up With String… **

There were many places Essence would have rather been.

Oz was one.

That place in The Giver would've been nice too…

Heck, she'd rather be standing over Romeo's body with that knife poised at her heart than here in a crowded room with at least a million people she didn't know or care to know (since they weren't fictional).

She thought they were related but she wasn't sure. They seemed so different from her and her parents.

For one thing, none of them ever mentioned anything from literature or about writing.

For another, they were social.

Essence sighed a little and attempted to slink off to the bathroom, a book concealed under her arm.

"Essie! Wait! It's time for cake!" A boy about her own age walked over to her and grabbed her arm and started to pull her towards the kitchen.

She suppressed a hiss and the urge to bite his head off after to remembered she wasn't a vampire.

She stared at him and began writing up his description in her head. She often did that with people. They always found it strange that this odd girl was analyzing them so closely.

"_The boy was stronger than he looked. A sparkle of happiness glimmered behind his large hazel eyes. He stood about a head taller than Essence and should most likely have switched to contacts a long time ago." _

She sat down at the end of a long table, her face emotionless, as it often was. Moments later, her mother walked in with the cake and set it in front of her daughter smiling. The lights went out and the family began singing to Essence, honoring her fourteenth birthday.

Essence attempted to hide behind her dark locks and dug into her tongue with her front teeth.

When the torture was finally over, the family spread out with their cake and proceeded to eat and catch up on old times. Essence poked at her cake then put her fork down and opened her book under the table and continued reading.

"_To him you follow'st, I will pay thy graces. Home both in word and deed.-" _(The Tempest, William Shakespeare)

Prospero was interrupted by someone tugging her hair.

Her head raised slowly from the play and made the phrase "If looks could kill…" have meaning.

It was the boy from before.

"Hey Essie," he waved, "You remember me, right?" he sat next to her.

Her poorly cared for fingernails dug into the book's cover, her jaw tightening. He interrupted her reading….

"Not... Exactly."

"Oh. Oops. I'm-" he paused for a slight second and stared at her then took a breath and continued, "Edward…"

She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Ah, yeah… I'm pretty popular…" He said simply, glancing down, "Anyway, I'm your cousin… You looked kinda lonely…"

"I'm never lonely…" she responded instantly.

Edward blinked a little, "… Okay…" He looked at her cake and smiled, "So how is it?"

"Fine!" she snapped. Couldn't the boy take a hint?!

He adjusted his glasses then finally took them off and cleaned them on his shirt and put them back on, "… Listen… You don't have many friends, do you?"

"I have plenty," she said calmly, clutching the book to her chest as if it were restraining her from clawing his face off.

He barely let her finish before continuing, "I meant ones that aren't fictional…"

She shot him another lethal glare and remained silent. She began plotting his death scene for one of the various stories she'd begun scribbling down in her math notebook and never finished.

"Alright…" He pulled a small box wrapped in brown paper and a string from his pocket. It was about 4 inches tall and 2 inches wide, "Happy Birthday, cuz…" He held it out to her, "Be gentle with him…"

She stared at the box in his hand, her glare weakening. She took it from him and noticed a small symbol on his thumb.

It appeared to be an odd doodle he'd drawn when he was bored. But she figured it couldn't be that. Her parents made her wash all drawings off her arms and hands before special occasions like parties or dinner… Why would his parents be any different?

While she was pondering this, her wish for Edward to leave her alone came true.

Essence stared down at the box, curious as to what was inside.

_Be gentle with him… _

What did that mean anyway? Had he given her a bug or a small snake or something…?

She stood up.

One way to find out.


	3. Chapter 3: Bring Me To Life

A/N: BrookeBlue doesn't own Absolute Boyfriend, The Bartimaeus Trilogy or any mini elephants.

**Chapter 3: Bring Me To Life **

Essence went upstairs to her small bedroom and locked the door, still holding the box. The whole time, her imagination ran wild. Was it a mini elephant? A small imp? A djinn perhaps?

She sat at her desk, shoved the notebooks aside and set the box down gently. She stared at it for a few seconds, contemplating what could be inside before she finally tugged the string and pulled off the wrapping paper carefully.

Taped to the small cardboard box was a tiny book. She pulled it off and set it aside gingerly. She turned the small package upright and slid it open like a matchbox.

She was almost surprised by the contents.

Inside a small boy lay on his back. He wasn't small like a baby is small. He was small like action figure small. He must have only been about three inches tall.

He was dressed simply in a white tee shirt, black hoodie and jeans. His hair was a little longer than commonly seen length for guys. It was a dark brown shade, almost black like hers. His skin was fair and his eyes were closed.

Essence could feel her heart pounding and a rarely seen smile grow on her face. This was the kind of present she really wanted. More than any book or journal, she wanted to have a life like those she read about.

She lifted the book up and looked at it, squinting to read the print. She pulled out a magnifying glass from her desk drawer and held it in front of the cover to read it.

KRONOS HEAVEN'S MINI SERIES

She continued reading and flipping through the pages until she came upon the part that told about "Activation". She was near tears of joy by this point.

TO ACTIVATE: Simply tickle the doll's belly and read off his serial number printed below. The sensors will respond to the warmth and acknowledge you as his friend.

MZ04321-0500

Essence eagerly put down the magnifying glass and followed the instructions. She carefully tickled the small doll's stomach and read off the serial number, which she had already memorized, "Em zee zero four three two one dash oh five hundred."

Almost immediately, the boy squirmed under her finger, "Kyya! No! Stop!" he laughed, "It tickles."

She smiled at him, obeying his demands. "Hello… My name is Essence. Do you have a name?" She reminded herself to thank Edward later.

"What fun would that be for you?! Naming me's your job," he replied, stretching lazily then rubbed his eye with his fist.

Essence thought a little, her gaze settling on the boy carefully and ran through the names of her favorite book characters.

Meanwhile, the small boy crawled out of his box and brushed off his clothing, straightening it to make sure it looked right. After the silence proceeded, he began to hop from foot to foot and swing his arms.

"… Malcolm…" she announced, "… I decided your name should be Malcolm. How do you like that for a name?"

He glanced up, his expression showing signs of deep thought, "I believe I like that name quite a lot, thank you."

Malcolm paused a moment then danced a little, "Ahh, so happy…!" he announced proudly.

She giggled very slightly. It was a very quiet thing but it was present.

"I'm going to enjoy having you for company, Malcolm…" she said, petting his head with her finger gently.

Malcolm ducked under her finger like a cat, "I'm pretty certain I'm going to enjoy having you for company as well, Essence!"


	4. Chapter 4: Goodnight Sweetheart

A/N: Thank you to those who have reviewed! It's much appreciated and the only reason I'm still writing this. Major kudos to you all! You've really inspired me.

I'd also like to acknowledge that I do not own anything that has to do with this story: I do not own Absolute Boyfriend, Shakespeare or the copyrights to desks or the name Malcolm if there is such a copyright.

**Chapter 4: Goodnight Sweetheart **

The next hour or so was spent reading over the manual with Malcolm. Well, rather, Essence was reading the manual aloud through the magnify glass as Malcolm wandered around her desk, exploring everything she had in there.

"What's this?!" he'd ask enthusiastically, holding up an everyday object he'd found.

Then she'd proceed to tell him what it was and demonstrate how it was used. Afterwards, she'd continue to read.

He eventually contented himself with rolling a quarter across her desk and chasing after it.

She looked at him, putting the magnify glass and manual down and rested her head on her fists, "So. Where are you going to sleep…? And live? You're awfully tiny to live using my things…"

Malcolm stopped playing and stared up at her, "… Huh… I suppose that could be difficult…" He looked off and saw her bookshelf, "That!" he pointed, "What is it?!"

"My books," she answered with pride. She held her hand out to him and he jumped onto her palm with ease. She then slid over to the bookshelf on her computer chair. Once there, she opened her hand and let him walk across the nearest shelf.

"Wow…" he stared at them. Then turned to face her, "… What do you do with them…? It looks kinda boring if this is all they do…"

She tried not to take offense in that, remembering all this was new to him, "You read them."

"Read…? Oh! Like you were doing with my manual, right?!"

"Exactly," she said, nodding in congratulations.

"Will you show me again?"

Essence pulled a book off the shelf and opened it on her lap with a sigh. Then opened her hand for him to use as an elevator. Malcolm hopped on it and she lowered him to the page. He leapt on the open page and scanned the words.

She rested a finger tip under the word she was reading so he could follow, "_But to be frank, and give it thee again. And yet I wish but for the thing I have: My bounty--" _

"_Is as boundless as the sea, my love as deep," _Malcolm continued, _"The more I give to the, the more I have, for both are infinite." _(Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare-- I had to put it in somewhere).

He glanced at Essence who remained stunned, "… how was that…?"

"I--… Amazing!" she replied, smiling amusedly.

He beamed, "Yeah?! Thanks! It's kinda hard to make it come out right. What was that?"

"Shakespeare," Essence answered, "One of the world's greatest and most honored playwrights."

"Oh…" Malcolm said, nodding. He stopped and looked at her, "…what's a playwright…?"

"Someone who writes plays," she answered simply.

"Ohh…" He nodded again, "… what's a play…?"

"It's a story that's meant to be acted out."

"Oh! I get it!" Malcolm grinned, "Why does he talk funny…?"

"He's from a long time ago."

"Oh. I see now…" Malcolm sat down. Essence yawned into her hand. He stared at her, "… and what was _that?!" _

"A yawn. People do that when they're tired…" she explained.

"So you're tired?" he returned, tipping his head to the side. She nodded, "You should rest then!"

"I should," she answered. She stared at him, "… But what about you…? Surely you need rest too…"

"Only if I want to," he nodded wisely.

"Well…" Essence began, lifting Malcolm and putting the book back on its shelf and rolling over to her desk again on her chair. She was thinking about what she should do with him. This was becoming more fun than she thought.

She set him on her desk as an idea occurred to her, "Hey…"

"Hey?" he asked.

She got up and walked to her closet as Malcolm watched her intently from the desk. She rummaged through it for awhile then withdrew an old wooden dollhouse. It was quite elaborate- with a full staircase, window shutters and light bulbs. She had always dreamed about living there as a doll.

She set it atop the chest at the foot of her bed where she kept her spare blankets. She stepped back and smiled proudly at it, walking back over to Malcolm, "This can be your new home… I'll furnish it tomorrow but for now, the box you came in can be enough…"

Malcolm was awed, "A whole house for me?!" he stepped onto her hand to be carried again. She picked up his box and pushed the part he'd sat in out so she could use that as a bed. Then placed it inside the dollhouse. He hopped inside the house after it, stunned, "This is great! Thank you, Essence!" He grinned up at her.

She smiled down at him, "You're welcome! Would you like a blanket?" she remembered he probably wouldn't know what that was so she added, "To keep you warm?"

"That would be nice, thank you…" he nodded and proceeded to explore the house. He walked up and down the stairs until she came back with a few strips of cloth from an old sewing project, when she'd attempted to master that skill.

Malcolm stroked the cloths, "Ooh… They're soft…"

"Mhm," she rubbed her left eye with her fist and patted his head with a finger on her free hand, "Goodnight, now…"

He hopped into his box with the tiny blankets, "Goodnight, Essence! I can't wait until morning!"


	5. Chapter 5: The Phonecall

A/N: Yay! It's moving along faster! I hope you enjoy and remember-- Cookies to those who review! YUMMY!

**Chapter 5: Dinner and Decorating**

Essence spent practically the entire day in her room furnishing Malcolm's house, leaving only to eat and use the restroom.

By dinner, she was putting the finishing touches on the house. She'd printed out pictures of famous paintings and was currently taping them to the walls of the house when her mother knocked on the door.

"Essence? I brought you dinner…" she knew her daughter well and knew that she'd probably been reading some of her new books, which she'd brought up to her room after Essence had gone to bed. She'd taken note of the doll house and had smiled fondly, happy to see it being displayed once more.

Essence opened the door after warning Malcolm to stay hidden, "Thanks mom."

"Oh! And Essie? School's going to start soon. Would you like to come shopping for supplies tomorrow or should I get them alone?"

"I'll come," Essence replied. She enjoyed supply shopping. She always found some extra thick notebooks that would be able to hold notes and stories.

Her mom smiled, "Okay. Great. Enjoy your dinner, Es," she pulled the door closed as she walked off.

Malcolm was busying himself with attempting to introduce himself to a Barbie doll which had been in the box with the doll house furniture.

"Hello Miss! You're awfully tall!" he'd began.

"…." said the Barbie.

"Oh. I'm sorry. Did I offend you? I'm sorry… I just finally meet someone closer to my size and even she's taller than me… You're very pretty though."

"…."

"…. Essence, what's wrong with this girl? She's not talking to me? Is she mad at me?" Malcolm whimpered, "Does she hate me?"

"No. She's not real," Essence explained, smoothing a cut out of a Monet painting.

"Not… Real…? What do you mean?"

"She's plastic," Essence picked up the Barbie and flicked her stomach to demonstrate how hard it was, "See?"

"Oh…." he looked slightly disappointed.

Essence began eating her dinner and offered some to Malcolm, "You're lonely?"

"Well, I heard your mom school would be starting soon… And you'll be shopping. So what will I do when you're away?" he took the piece she'd offered and ate it, "This is good."

"My mom's a great cook. I hadn't thought about that… Maybe I can call Edward and see what he thinks," she handed Malcolm another piece of her dinner, "Hey Malcolm? What's that symbol on the back of your hand?"

"This?" he held it up. It matched the doodle she'd seen on Edward's thumb at her party, "It's the mark of the company. It's to show that I'm real and not… Not-real…." he explained, looking at the Barbie to illustrate what he'd meant by 'not not-real'.

"Do you know if Edward works for the company?" she asked between bites.

"I don't know who Edward is. I'm sorry," Malcolm replied apologetically.

"That's okay… I'll call and ask… How 'bout you look at your house. I think you'll like it. Actually, it looks a bit like my house," Essence put her dinner down and carried Malcolm to the house, placing him inside gingerly.

"Oh! It looks great!" he explored both floors, his hands running over every plastic and wooden surface and paid special attention to all things soft.

"I'm glad you like it!" she beamed proudly and watched him as he hopped from room to room to memorize the layout.

Yes, she'd really have to call Edward. Tomorrow.


	6. Chapter 6: The Real Phonecall

A/N: I do not own the Icee bear or Kronos Heaven. Oh- And the last chapter was supposed to be called "Dinner and Decorating" this is the real phone call. Please excuse this small error.

**Chapter 6: The Phonecall**

Essence found Edward's number in the card that had come with Malcolm. She normally didn't open the cards, finding the gifts much more interesting than the clichéd phrases her family had to say. However, this time she'd found his card quite useful. Yet another thing to thank him for.

"Hello?"

"Hello, this is Essence… Is this Edward?" she began, folding back the corner on the envelope absentmindedly.

"Oh, hey Essence! How are you enjoying your gift?" he asked.

"He's wonderful. Thank you very, very much," she smiled, despite the fact it would go unseen to Edward, "I wanted to thank you…"

He laughed quietly, "I'm glad you enjoy him."

"I… Also had… a few questions…." Essence continued, tracing the envelope's borders with her finger.

"Okay. Go ahead. I'll try and answer them sufficiently."

"Okay… Well, uhm…" she thought, searching for the best place to start, "… That… Company he's from… And the symbol…. I…"

"Yes, I work for them. Well, sort of. I advertise their products," Edward explained, "And think of the symbol as the company's logo. Like the Icee bear."

She stifled a tiny laugh, "Okay… Would it be possible for me to purchase another… Doll? Or whatever you want to call it?"

"Another? One isn't enough for you?"

"Well, he is but he's going to get lonely while I'm away at school and stuff," Essence elaborated, searching for a pen to doodle with. She found one in her pocket and began drawing a complicated maze on the envelope.

There was a pause, "… I'll see what I can do. I had a hard enough time convincing the company to give you yours for free…"

"Oh, I'm not asking for a freebee. I'm willing to pay," Essence replied easily, glancing at the ceiling.

"It'll cost you."

"How much?"

"Well, let's see…" she heard the rustling of papers and the click of a calculator on the other line, "Approximately… 500 dollars…"

Silence, "… Is that all?" Essence muttered sarcastically. Then sighed, glancing over at Malcolm's house where he was still resting, "Okay, well… I'll think about it…"

"Okay. Is that all?" Edward asked.

"Yes, that's all for now. Thank you again Edward. You've made my list of favorite non-fictional people."

"I'm touched."

She hung up and sighed heavily, wondering how in the world she'd be able to earn that money.


	7. Chapter 7: Friends

**A/N: Sorry it's short. The next few chapters will probably be this way as well but that'll make them come more often, right? ^_^ Enjoy! And once more, I bribe thee with cookies! **

**Chapter 7: Friends **

School came quickly. And with it, came the parties and other gatherings.

One night, a month into the school year, Malcolm found a brightly colored sheet for a Halloween party, "Hey… What's this? It looks like fun…" After all, that was the flyer's guarantee: _Games… Food… Prizes and Fun for the Whole Family! _

"That?" Essence looked up from her math textbook, "It's just a silly Halloween party…" she went back to her homework.

"Oh…" Malcolm stared at the sheet still, "Are you going?" She looked at him, "I mean… I'd be lonely but you should have fun. Won't your friends miss you if you don't go?"

"What friends?" she submerged herself in her work once more.

"You don't have any friends?!"

"Sure I do. I have you and my books…"

"Oh…." Malcolm went silent for a moment, fumbling with his hands, "Forgive me but… that hardly seems sufficient… Yes, I'm your friend. But… there's… a lotta stuff I can't do with you that other people could… Like… go to this party…Or go shopping… Or to school…"

"You and my books are more than enough, thank you very much," Essence answered brusquely, "Now, if you'll be so kind, may I please get back to my homework?"

"…mhm…" Malcolm retreated into the depths of his home with the feeling he was right and wishing Essence could open her mind and grasp the idea as well.


End file.
